An affectionate Bassett hound mix found in Gordon County has gained national fame with an appearance on the CBS evening news.

Patches, who was days away from death inside of Gordon County’s Animal Shelter, was flown from Tennessee to Illinois — where she was adopted and is now looked after with affection.

Local dog rescuer Judy Lawson of Animal Rescue League of Northwest Georgia found the stray, and spared the dog’s life by collaborating with the Pilots-N-Paws pet adoption group.

Patches journey and adoption was featured in a Katie Couric story entitled “The American spirit: Aviators Fly Needy Animals to Safety” on Dec. 10, 2009.

Lawson said in the past year that the Animal Rescue League has rescued more than 350 dogs in the Gordon County area.

“We take in the wounded, managed and dogs deemed un-adoptable,” Lawson said. “We are a no kill shelter and we don’t just take in the cute, little fluffy ones.”

Currently, the rescue has approximately 60 dogs that are housed in a safe location and foster homes.

The nonprofit dog rescue group rescues abandoned, neglected and abused dogs in the local area. These dogs receive heartworm treatments and other types of basic vet services, and are later adopted out of out state or locally.

If you are interested in adopting a dog, visit www.petfinder.com or call 678-848-1889 to learn more about what you can do to help.